UI Chapter 54

On the morning of the school registration day, the campus was crowded everywhere.

Compared to the freshmen who were stepping into university for the first time, seniors like them were much less noticeable. After completing the required registration procedures, Shen Ran received the key to his new dormitory. Zheng Mingjin helped him move his belongings and, after settling in, stayed to clean the dorm with him.

None of his five new roommates had arrived yet. Shen Ran hadn’t had breakfast, so Zheng Mingjin suggested they go out to eat together.

At a small eatery, they ordered satay noodles and spring rolls. Seeing Shen Ran absentmindedly wiping his chopsticks with a tissue, Zheng Mingjin asked, “Feeling down?”

Shen Ran hadn’t shown any signs of distress all morning, but now, perhaps due to exhaustion, his energy seemed to have dropped. He shook his head and handed the cleaned chopsticks to Zheng Mingjin. “Just hungry.”

Zheng Mingjin wasn’t convinced by his vague response.
“Did Zhao Jiyu agree to let you move out?”

“Yeah.” Shen Ran picked up another pair of chopsticks, wiped them clean, and went to the condiments area to get some pickled long beans. Just as he sat back down, he got up again to grab some spicy radish.

Zheng Mingjin watched him busily moving around. By the time he finally sat down, the owner had already brought their satay noodles to the table. Shen Ran immediately started eating as if he were starving. Zheng Mingjin only took a few bites before setting down his chopsticks, looking at him.
“You two had a fight, didn’t you?”

“No.” Shen Ran’s mouth was full of noodles, making his reply muffled.
“Did Yang Xin talk to you about her plans after graduation?”

Yang Xin was in the same year as them and was now starting her third year of university as well. Regarding future plans, Zheng Mingjin had indeed discussed this with her.

Yang Xin was born in Shenzhen and grew up in Hong Kong before returning to Shenzhen for her studies, eventually getting into Sun Ya-sen University. After graduation, she planned to pursue a master’s degree, and Zheng Mingjin had similar plans. They intended to apply to the University of Hong Kong together.

Hearing Zheng Mingjin’s explanation, Shen Ran was reminded that Zhao Jiyu might also go abroad for further studies. And at that moment, he realized that, without even noticing, they had reached a point where separation was foreseeable.

“You should really consider pursuing a master’s degree. If you’re worried about your mom, you could apply for a graduate program at our university,” Zheng Mingjin suggested.

Shen Ran’s grades had always been stable. While he wasn’t at the level of Zhao Jiyu or Yang Xin, he had no issues qualifying for a master’s program. He had been thinking about this for a long time—whether to continue studying or not.

If he did, he could apply for scholarships to cover his expenses. If he didn’t, he could enter the workforce earlier, and once he had saved enough, he could always pursue further studies later.

The main reason he was hesitant about continuing his studies was that he wanted to start earning money as soon as possible. His family’s small grocery store could sustain their basic needs, but his mother was getting older. Last year, she was diagnosed with diabetes and had to take insulin shots daily. Though her condition had stabilized this year and she now only needed oral medication, he still worried about her. He thought that if he started working sooner, he could bring her from their hometown to live with him.

However, the history department is different from other disciplines—it emphasizes the accumulation of knowledge. It’s difficult to find a good job with just an undergraduate degree, so if he doesn’t continue studying, he’ll have to consider switching fields for work.

But that would go against his original intention of studying history.

Shen Ran found this frustrating—like making a decision only to waver afterward. And this unsettling feeling hit him twice as hard today. After finishing his meal, instead of returning to the dormitory, he received a call from Zhao Jiyu.

Zheng Mingjin, who was sitting with him on the bleachers at the Upper Arc Field, noticed the name on his phone screen. Seeing that Shen Ran had no intention of answering, Zheng Mingjin asked,
“Want me to pick it up for you?”

“No need.” Shen Ran pressed the lock button, put his silenced phone back in his pocket, picked up a bottle of mineral water beside his foot, took a sip, and continued watching the two soccer teams playing in the field.
“I’ve already made up my mind. I won’t see him again.”

“He agreed?”

“He’s been away the past two days. I haven’t had the chance to tell him yet.”

While they were talking, Shen Ran’s phone vibrated again with a WeChat message from Zhao Jiyu: [I just landed at Gaoqi Airport. Are you at school?]

Seeing him staring blankly at the screen, Zheng Mingjin changed the topic.
“Has Wang Jun contacted you these past few days?”

Shen Ran had almost forgotten about her.
“Not since that meal.”

“That’s strange.” Zheng Mingjin frowned.
“She was so eager when she asked Hela to invite you to dinner. From the way she looked, she was one step away from confessing to you. How did she suddenly go silent?”

“I don’t know.” Shen Ran sighed. “It’s better this way. I really don’t have the energy to think about it right now.”

Zheng Mingjin draped an arm over Shen Ran’s shoulders and patted his back.
“Alright, I won’t bring it up again. But if you’ve made up your mind, don’t waver. You and him… you’re not compatible in so many ways.”

On the field, the number 6 player in green had successfully intercepted the ball and was charging unchallenged toward the opposing team’s penalty area. Just as he was about to shoot, a red team player suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked him. The ball struck the goalpost and flew wildly out of bounds.

Watching the ball disappear into the distance, Shen Ran suddenly let out a silent laugh. Then, he lowered his head and didn’t lift it again for a long time.

—

“Jiyu, what are you daydreaming about?”

Zhao Xinhong patted his grandson’s leg. Zhao Jiyu snapped out of it and replied, “Nothing. Just a little tired.”

Zhao Xinhong said,
“These past two days have been exhausting. You still have to check in this afternoon, right? Old Tang, drive a little faster.”

“Understood.” The driver, Old Tang, replied from the front seat. He glanced at Zhao Jiyu through the rearview mirror and reassured him,
“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely make it before 3:30.”

Zhao Jiyu nodded slightly and continued gazing out the window. It had been almost an hour since he had called and messaged Shen Ran, but there was still no reply. However, today was the first day of school, so maybe Shen Ran was just busy.

When the car arrived at the school gate, Old Wu came forward to greet them. He had already prepared all the necessary documents for Zhao Jiyu’s registration. Taking the file from Old Wu, Zhao Jiyu stepped through the campus entrance just as his phone rang—Huang Qianxu was calling, asking where he was.

“I have to register first.”
Holding the file in one hand and his phone in the other, Zhao Jiyu walked quickly, completely ignoring the curious gazes cast his way.

“Let’s have dinner together tonight,”
Huang Qianxu said.
“Qiao Xu is back, and Wei Qi booked a private room at Guan Hai Ju. Jia Xuan will be there too.”

Right now, Zhao Jiyu only wanted to see Shen Ran. However, since Huang Qianxu mentioned Qiao Xu’s name, he couldn’t refuse outright, so he said, “I’ll let you know later.”

“Hey,” Huang Qianxu called out, hearing that he was about to hang up.
“Why do you sound so irritated? Did you have a fight with someone?”

“No, I’m just in a hurry to finish my registration. My flight was delayed by two hours.”

There was a brief silence on Huang Qianxu’s end.
“Have you seen Shen Ran yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You two are in the same department. You’ll probably run into him soon.”

Huang Qianxu usually didn’t bring up Shen Ran on his own, so Zhao Jiyu found it a little strange. Before he could ask about it, a faculty advisor walking towards him called out to him, so he ended the call. After completing all the registration procedures, he called Shen Ran.

Still the same message: Phone powered off.

Zhao Jiyu walked to the history department building and glanced into Shen Ran’s classroom. There were only about ten students inside. He then checked the restroom and circled the area, but Shen Ran was nowhere to be found. In the end, he approached a female student who had been staring at him from the hallway.

He was known for being distant and unapproachable at school, so when he took the initiative to speak, the girl stammered a little before pointing towards the stairs.
“Shen Ran left a while ago. After registering, he left with Zheng Mingjin.”

“Do you have Zheng Mingjin’s number?”

She shook her head. Just then, Xu Tian replied to his message, telling him that Shen Ran had the day off and wasn’t at work. Zhao Jiyu then went to ask the faculty advisor, who confirmed that Shen Ran had applied for a dorm room.

Inside the six-person dorm, the other five beds were occupied, but Shen Ran’s was empty. His suitcase was placed against the wall, still unopened.

That suitcase was the same one from when Zhao Jiyu had brought Shen Ran to his house.

One of the dormmates was in the same class as Zhao Jiyu. When asked about Shen Ran’s whereabouts, the guy simply said he didn’t know. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Jiyu turned and left.

Outside the dorm, Zhao Jiyu pulled a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket and leaned against a phoenix tree, smoking.

For some reason, even though it had only been a little over two hours without finding Shen Ran, a slight sense of unease crept over him.

It made sense for Shen Ran to apply for a dorm. He had mentioned before that once the semester started, he planned to move back in. It was Zhao Jiyu who had assumed that since Shen Ran seemed to have feelings for him, he would continue staying at his house.

But now, they hadn’t talked things through yet, and they weren’t officially together. Moving back to the dorm was completely reasonable.

So why was his phone off?

After finishing two cigarettes under the tree, Zhao Jiyu ran into Huang Qianxu.

Their five-person friend group had four people attending the same university, though in different departments. Huang Qianxu had specifically come to find him.

Seeing that his face didn’t look good, Huang Qianxu asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at his watch and said,
“Nothing, I have to go.”

Huang Qianxu hooked his arm around Zhao Jiyu’s shoulder, stopping him.
“Go where? It’s already five o’clock. I came to pick you up so we can go to Guan Hai Ju together.”

“I’m not going tonight. You guys go ahead.”

Zhao Jiyu’s tone carried a hint of impatience. Huang Qianxu noticed but still insisted,
“Come on, Qiao Xu is leaving for Beijing the day after tomorrow. This is our only chance to have a meal together. Do you think we can just meet up anytime during the summer?”

Since Qiao Xu had started university in Beijing, they had only been able to gather during winter and summer breaks. Hearing this, Zhao Jiyu had no choice but to agree. He figured Shen Ran might be busy with something and planned to check on him at the dormitory after dinner.